Kicks to get Guinness attention

“The Guinness people will carefully watch the video in slow motion,and only count the perfect kicks – that is,kicks that have connected cleanly,with the middle of the foot,and not the toes,” Kshetri says. “Even after that,the number will definitely be more than 3,000.”

Kshetri,who won gold at the taekwondo Nationals at Lonavala in 1999,already has one Guinness record to his name — for ‘most martial arts kicks (with one leg) in one minute.’ His record,set in May,bettered the previous mark of 149,set by Pakistan’s Ahmed Hussain,by 19 kicks. If Guinness ratifies his 30-minute attempt,Kshetri will have knocked Hussain off his perch for the second time.

“I’ve never met or spoken to him,” a grinning Kshetri says of his cross-border rival. “But I’ve seen him talking about me on internet forums. And both of us know each others’ Facebook profiles,but neither of us has sent any friend requests.”

If the 30-minute record falls into Kshetri’s lap,he says he will become the first Puneite to hold two records. “And in Maharashtra,only Sachin Tendulkar has more,” he adds. “Now,Guinness have redesigned their site,but a few months ago,my record used to appear right below Tendulkar’s total ODI runs on the Indian records list.”

At ISSC,where Kshetri completed his post-graduation in computer science,he spends three hours every morning,and three hours every evening after returning from work,on his training. “In each session,I start by running 2km to build my stamina,and then I stretch,before starting my kicking practice,” he says. “In a day,I complete around 6,000-7,000 kicks.”

Quite often,all this kicking leaves his hamstrings feeling rather tender. “I like pain,” Kshetri says. “Pain tells you that you’re pushing your body to its limit,and you want to test it even further.”